Chicago-headquartered financial services company Northern Trust makes senior hire to deepen industry relationships.

Northern Trust has appointed David Sara (pictured) as regional head of industry development, Asia Pacific, based in Melbourne.

Sara will help strengthen Northern Trust’s long-term positioning with asset owners across Australia and New Zealand, and the broader Asia Pacific region, the firm said in a statement. His remit will be to deepen senior level engagement with the region’s asset owners, alongside consultants and industry stakeholders, ensuring alignment between client needs, industry developments and Northern Trust’s product and service strategy.

Working with regional and global teams, he will support growth initiatives across asset servicing, with an emphasis on advancing Northern Trust’s asset owner proposition and informing longer-term product strategy through direct engagement with institutional investors.

Sara brings more than 20 years’ experience in industry engagement, strategy and organisational transformation, together with a deep understanding of the asset owner landscape across Australia and New Zealand and the wider region.